Necmettin Erbakan awakened political spirit of Islam in Turkey

2 March 2011

We took with sadness the news of the death of Necmettin Erbakan, who throughout his political life defended, with forces and means available to him, the right of the Turkish people to Islam, to defense of the honor of Muslims, to dignity of ordinary people.

Erbakan entered his political life in Turkey as the first politician in modern history of this country, who has publicly declared commitment to Islamic values.

Erbakan's attempt to restore the rule of Islam in the current political system, although doomed, aroused political spirit of Islam in Turkey.

Erbakan revived the practice of Islamic solidarity, including the Caucasus. He sought to establish an independent international Islamic political alliance, which could serve for expression and defense of the interests of Muslim nations.

The political life Necmettin Erbakan became a lesson and experience for Muslims and helped to understand the current state of the Ummah, to select the only true way to restore the greatness of Islam.

We bring our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Necmettin Erbakan and ask Allah to show mercy to His servant.

Information Service of the Caucasus Emirate

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/03/02/13688.shtml.

Terrorist gang FSB sent to fight Muslims in Kazakhstan

3 March 2011

According to media outlets of Kazakhstan, the political police of the local dictator Nazarbayev, a so-called "The National Security Committee (KNB)", is preparing for a joint operation with the Russian terrorist group "Federal Security Service (FSB)" against Muslims in Kazakhstan.

Punitive groups of Moscow and Astana announced that they "intend to find and destroy" Mujahideen bases in western Kazakhstan. That was announced on March 3 on Nazarbayev's TV station KTK with reference to a number of KGB media outlets in Russia.

Citing "informed sources", the TV station reported that the KNB and the FSB had already begun to form a special armed unit.

An active phase of military punitive action against the Muslims, according to the Russian press, will start soon: in March or April.

A Russian newspaper "Versiya (Version) wrote with reference to the KGB that the Caucasian Mujahideen are allegedly involved in western Kazakhstan not only in the consolidation of the Muslims, but also in creating in Mangistau region a wide network of training centers for the Mujahideen.

Meanwhile, as reported by local sources, preparations for a punitive military operation against the Muslims is a manifestation of extreme anxiety and fear of the ruling dictatorial regime in Astana in connection with the revival of Islam among the peoples of Kazakhstan and especially among indigenous Kazakhs.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/03/03/13711.shtml.

Tajikistan demands from Russia to withdraw its troops

4 March 2011

Tajikistan has demanded from Russia to withdraw all Russian border guards from the Tajik-Afghan border. Earlier reports suggested on the contrary an intensification of operations by the Russian FSB border guards whose numbers had been consistently declining since 2006.

The unexpected declaration was issued during the present round of negotiations between Russian and Tajik border guards in the capital of Tajikistan, where the countries were to determine the format of a further Russian presence on the Tajik-Afghan border.

The 2004 Russian-Tajik agreement "about cooperation on border issues" expires this April.

The sides refused to give an official reason for a change in the course of the negotiations - no statements were issued neither by the main directorate of border forces of the state committee for national security of Tajikistan, nor by the Russian FSB terrorists in the context of the border services.
The main flow of Afghan-produced narcotics to Russia and then further to Europe goes through this border, claims the Russian press.

The Tajik border guards say that they are not worse than the Russians at dealing against narco-traffickers.

"President Emomali Rahmon would like to sit at the negotiation table with Russia with the biggest number of trump cards," believes Andrei Grozin, an expert at the Moscow Institute of CIS Countries.

The Russian military presence in Tajikistan is ensured by the Russian military base # 201, positioned directly in five villages. The number of Russian troops from the 693rd motor-rifle division from the North Caucasus military district is 3.800 soldiers.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/03/04/13729.shtml.

Egyptians march to Gaza to demand border be opened

2011-03-06

Cairo: Hundreds of Egyptians on Sunday marched to the country's border with the Gaza Strip to demand that the border be opened, Press TV reported.

Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007.

The campaign was the brainchild of the Tahrir4Gaza campaign, whose organizers said they wanted to see to which extent Egypt has changed since the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak Feb 11, the media report said.

Ahmed El-Assy, the main campaign organizer, said: 'The Mubarak regime collaborated with Israel to keep the Palestinians weak, but now he's been overthrown, so there's no need to maintain the status quo.'

'There's a lot of fear and intimidation, but we know that the Palestinian issue is an important one for Egyptians, and we need to keep the momentum up following the successful revolution,' he said.

The uprising in Egypt forced Mubarak to quit after nearly 30 years in power. The Egypt revolution was inspired by the successful uprising in Tunisia that saw president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali being forced out of office Jan 14.

Another Tahrir4Gaza campaign member said: 'If we are refused entry to Gaza, we are thinking about setting up a permanent camp at the border. This is a test of whether this really is the new Egypt, or whether the old Egypt remains.'

Source: Sify.
Link: http://www.sify.com/news/egyptians-march-to-gaza-to-demand-border-be-opened-news-international-ldgo4fcebgb.html.

Libyan Rebels Capture British SAS Unit

British Troops Sent to 'Offer Help' After Repeated Warnings Against Foreign Meddling

by Jason Ditz, March 05, 2011

Sometimes no really means no.

That’s what the British military learned today when, after a solid week of Libyan rebel leaders insisting that they didn’t want any foreign intervention in the ongoing efforts to oust long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, they decided a great idea would be to dispatch a unit of their special forces, the SAS, to Benghazi to “offer help.”

The troops arrived in plain clothes and accompanied a “junior diplomat” who had ostensibly been dispatched to “establish relations” with the opposition’s leadership council. The rebels have been in control of virtually the entire eastern half of the nation plus a number of cities in the west for over a week.

But the rebels’ troops spotted the plain clothes troops and hauled them away, worrying that public support would be damaged if they were seen as a Western-backed coup against Gadhafi, one of the chief reasons they have repeatedly spurned US and British offers of military help.

Though the diplomat’s arrival doesn’t appear to have been a major problem, the protest movement has sought international recognition as the “legitimate government of Libya” over the Gadhafi regime, the fact that he showed up uninvited with a unit of soldiers appears to have angered the rebel leadership council, which immediately ordered the lot of them thrown into a military brig.

Publicly the British Defense Ministry has declined comment on the arrests, saying that they never comment on any activities of the SAS, but officials have said off the record that they don’t expect the matter to escalate and that the rebels are “just making a point.”

The point, which appears to have been lost on Western officials the first hundred times they said it, is that Libya’s protest movement does not want a NATO-led occupation, or any other occupation, and that they feel perfectly capable of taking the rest of the nation on their own, using a combination of the military defectors (which amount to most of Libya’s military) and the massive popular support for Gadhafi’s ouster.

Source: Antiwar.
Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2011/03/05/libyan-rebels-capture-british-sas-unit/.

China opposes foreign intervention in Middle East unrest: spokesman

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China opposes the intervention by foreign forces in the unrest in the Middle East and relevant missions should be led by the United Nations, a Chinese spokesman said Saturday.

A similar unrest in China is "preposterous and unrealistic", said Zhao Qizheng, spokesman for China's top advisory body which is convening its annual session in Beijing.

There would not be such a situation in China, added Zhao, former head of the Information Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet.

He made the remarks at a press conference for the Fourth Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He had told a group of foreign journalists last month that many of China's problems, such as income and regional gaps, surfaced in the process of rapid economic development. However, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government were trying to resolve them.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-03/05/c_13763046.htm.

Algerian pro-democracy march put down by police

The Associated Press
March 5, 2011

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algerian pro-democracy protesters' fifth bid in six weeks to march in the capital has been put down by police.

Unlike pro-democracy movements in neighboring Tunisia and Libya, Algeria's demonstrations have yet to get off the ground.

On Saturday, police put down three separate march bids in the capital which also drew demonstrators who turned out in favor of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

A group that had been organizing the protests has split in two, with a political wing, which tried to march Saturday, and a grouping of human rights leaders and unions which has chosen to work more closely with the population.

Many Algerians say they are tired of conflict after being subjected to years of violence because of an Islamist insurgency.

Source: Center Daily Times.
Link: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/03/05/2562426/algerian-pro-democracy-march-put.html.

Algeria Evacuates 3,800 Nationals from Libya

2011-03-05

Algeria has evacuated more than 3, 800 of its citizens from Libya which has been swept by the two- week protest against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, state-run APS news agency reported Saturday.

Halim Benattalh, a ministerial delegate in charge of Algerian expatriates, said the 3,800 have been evacuated via flights, vans and vessels.

He said Algerian authorities have also evacuated 2,200 foreigners from Libya, adding the 6,000 have fled Libya until Wednesday.

Humanitarian groups said a lot of foreigners in Libya have begun fleeing into Algeria after reports that pro-Gaddafi forces started to guard exit routes to Tunisia and Egypt.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it is seeing fewer people arriving at borders with Tunisia and Egypt. Libya also shares its borders with Sudan and Niger.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/05/2801s624343.htm.

Ten Rohingyas arrested in Tripura, India

Saturday, 05 March 2011

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Police have arrested ten Rohingya in Agartala, the capital of the Indian State of Tripura, on March 3. They were arrested at a railway station, according to bdnews24.com.

The Rohingya originally entered Bangladesh through Teknaf of Cox's Bazaar and then crossed over to Tripura through the Sonamura border near Comilla.

The arrested people have been identified as the members of two families and they had crossed the border from Bangladesh and intended to go to Delhi or Mumbai in search of work, a police official said.

One of the arrestees, Hasan Ali, said, “The Rohingya are denied even the most basic rights and are not considered citizens of Burma. They are not allowed to travel from one village to another without the state's permission. They are denied government jobs despite having the required qualifications, and they are not even allowed to marry without the permission of the authorities."

The Rohingya were fleeing Burma to avoid the atrocities of the military junta.

"All 10, including three Burmese women, who entered Tripura without proper documents, were brought before a local court in the afternoon. They have been sent to jail for 14 days," said public prosecutor Tapan Saha.

Nearly 1.5 million Rohingya have left Arakan State, Burma, since before independence. Some now work in the Middle East, while others remain in various countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3072:ten-rohingyas-arrested-in-tripura-india.

Hamas arrests wanted global militant in Gaza

March 6, 2011

Hamas's Gaza security forces arrested the purported leader of a global militant group earlier this week, Haaretz reported on Thursday.

Hisham Saidani, leader of the Tawhid al-Jihad, a group associated with Al-Qaeda and other global extremist elements, was arrested at home at the central-Gaza refugee camp of al-Maazi after spending 18 months on Hamas' wanted list.

The arrest, which sources said was conducted peacefully and without resistance, came after repeated attempts to nab Saidani, whose group had been operating in the region for several years.

Source: Tehran Times.
Link: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=236887.

Turkey may lose battle to win hearts of Libyan opposition

06 March 2011, Sunday
Mahir Zeynalov, İstanbul

While the international community is strongly pushing major powers to take steps to loosen Libya’s tin-pot dictator’s grip over security forces through numerous sanctions, anti-Western sentiments among the Turkish leadership have increasingly isolated Turkey in fight against the Libyan leader’s atrocities against his own people.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi continued over the weekend to lead the struggle against armed rebel groups demanding the end of his 42-year rule, allegedly killing up to 6,000 rebels since the start of the conflict.

The United Nations Security Council slapped an arms embargo, a travel ban and an assets freeze on Gaddafi, his family and top associates during an emergency weekend meeting. It also agreed to refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague -- a permanent war crimes tribunal -- to investigate and prosecute possible crimes against humanity. But the UN has not yet included an authorization for the use of military force against Libya.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday firmly opposed any NATO intervention in the Libyan crisis and strongly criticized European countries for their “double standard” towards developments in North Africa. Erdoğan accused European countries of remaining silent on the killings in Libya.

Gaddafi lashed out against Europe and the United States on Wednesday for pressuring him to step down. “We will fight until the last man and woman,” he vowed, warning that thousands of Libyans will die if the US and NATO forces intervene in the conflict. Erdoğan also slammed those who criticized him for remaining indifferent to the Libyan crisis. “We are ruling a state, not a tribe,” he said, underlining that he needs to act responsibly as a statesman to ensure the safety of Turkish nationals in Libya.

Erdoğan also criticized sanctions and interventions in Libya to stop the bloodshed, claiming that this would hurt people instead of the Libyan regime. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, however, has taken a different route in suggesting that Turkey is closely monitoring the latest UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya sanctions and said Turkey will make any kind of effort to contribute to the implementation of the sanctions.

“Erdoğan is trying to protect his nationalist flank in advance of the upcoming elections,” Henri Barkey from Lehigh University said, adding that the prime minister does not want to appear to be working in tandem with the US or Europe. He said Erdoğan seems worried that he will be accused of collaborating with the West “against Muslims.”

Europe outlined fresh sanctions to force the dictator to stop attacks on civilians and step down after 42 years of iron-fisted rule. The European Union issued travel bans and an asset freeze against senior Libyan officials, and ordered an arms embargo on the country. Germany went further, proposing a 60-day economic embargo to prevent Gaddafi from using oil and other revenues to repress his people. Erdoğan’s remarks in Germany might be targeted against this country’s proposed move, but the prime minister did not elaborate on which sanctions he is against.

Shashank Joshi from Harvard University said Erdoğan’s statement was remarkably hostile and particularly provocative in its claim that “when we [Turkey] look at the Middle East, we are not among those who look at its oil.” “This reflects a serious misunderstanding of Western intent and a complacent attitude towards the possibility of intensifying airstrikes by the Gaddafi regime,” Joshi said.

Libya was also suspended from the top UN human rights body this week. The Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have recently condemned the Gaddafi regime for its brutal response to protests.

A columnist at a Turkish newspaper who wanted to remain anonymous said he feels “anti-Western sentiment” in Erdoğan’s remark. Turkey vetoed economic sanctions on Iran for the Islamic republic’s suspected nuclear program on June 12 of last year and frequently uses harsh rhetoric against foreign involvement in its vicinity. The columnist said Turkey is against sanctions because the “Western nations have taken the lead.” He also said what Turkey should do now is wait and try to implement UN sanctions as best as it can.

Joshi said as the stalemate continues in Libya, there is every possibility that Gaddafi will deploy helicopter gunships and jet aircraft against heavily populated defensive positions around capital Tripoli and in the East. He said rather than wait for a repeat of Bosnia’s Srebrenica massacre in 1995 or the indiscriminate violence of Kosovo in 1999, it is imperative that responsible states impose a no-fly zone, adding that this would not be a panacea but would furnish the opposition with breathing space and slightly reduce the chance of an atrocity. “In this respect, Dr. Davutoğlu demonstrates far greater foresight and wisdom than his prime minister,” the expert added.

Joshi noted that Erdoğan is calculating that the regional diplomatic stature he has accumulated over the past five years would be put at risk were he to align himself with a narrow Anglo-American alliance, but he has misunderstood or ignored the clear requests for limited assistance made by coordinated rebel groups in Libya. Barkey said the irony is, of course, that it is Gaddafi who is in the process of killing innocent civilians. If Gaddafi survives, Barkey argued, Turkish business interests in Libya will be protected. However, he warned, the danger for Turkey is that the longer it takes for the regime to change and the bloodier it is, the greater is the likelihood that the new regime in Libya will have less than positive feelings towards the Turkish government.

Source: Sunday's Zaman.
Link: http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=237429.

Egypt names new interior minister

Appointment comes after protesters storm state security buildings claiming that secret documents are being destroyed.

06 Mar 2011

Egypt's prime minister has appointed a new interior minister in a further sign that ousted president Hosni Mubarak's old guard are being removed from the cabinet.

Prime minister Essam Sharaf named General Mansour El Essawi to the post on Sunday according to a post on the Facebook page of the prime minister's office.

The prime minister is also expected to name former judge Nabil El Arabi as the new foreign minister - though this has not yet been confirmed.

The new appointments come after Egyptian protesters stormed several state security buildings in Cairo and Alexandria on Saturday, seizing documents and attempting to retrieve files kept on alleged human rights abuses in the country.

Pro-democracy activists have demanded a purge of cabinet in which the key portfolios of defense, justice, interior and foreign affairs have been run by appointees of Mubarak, who was swept from power on February 11, after 18 days of mass protests.

The 500,000-strong internal security services are accused of some of the worst human rights violations while attempting to suppress dissent against Mubarak's 30-year rule.

'Incriminating evidence'

Protesters stormed inside at least six of the buildings on Saturday, including the agency's main headquarters in Cairo's northern Nasr City neighborhood, confronting and attacking some officers.

They scoured the building for official documents, many of which were already shredded in piles or burned in what they believe was an attempt to hide evidence incriminating senior officials in abuses. Some also searched the building for secret detention rooms.

Lubna Darwish, a protester at the scene, told Al Jazeera that they had entered every office in the building.

"We were protesting for three hours ... at some point the doors opened and we stormed the building.

"In every office, we found tonnes and tonnes of shredded paper and left overs ... and we found a lot of folders of different cases, and then we found an underground place with around 20 cells. Next to the cells we found this big room where we found folders of almost every [Egyptian] activist ... people were finding their own folders ... their own photos," she said.

Searching for detainees

Around 2,500 people swept into the compound, according to state media.

Mohammed Abdel-Fattah, another protester, told the Associated Press that they had barged in from the back doors, and the military, which had cordoned off the building, could not stop them.

Army officers tried to get protesters out of the compound, but did not use force. One army officer rescued a state security officer from angry protesters and ushered him into a tank.

Egypt's State Security Investigations (SSI) which were given a free hand by emergency laws under Mubarak, are some of the most powerful symbols of the former regime.

Many protest leaders say despite the fall of Mubarak and his government, the agency remains active in protecting the old regime and trying to sabotage the revolution.

The SSI counts for at least 100,000 employees and a large network of informants, a security official told AFP news agency.

On Friday, Egypt's newly appointed prime minister Sharaf vowed to reform the dreaded security apparatus as he addressed thousands of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

"I pray that Egypt will be a free country and that its security apparatus will serve the citizens," he said, as thousands chanted "the people want the end of the state security."

When Mubarak resigned he handed power to a military council that has vowed to pave the way to a free and democratic system, pledging to bring to justice all those found guilty of abuse.

Torture 'widely practiced'

Activists say that while torture was once reserved for political prisoners and terrorism suspects, it became widely practiced even on petty criminal suspects.

The most recent case to have dominated headlines and sparked demonstrations was of Khaled Said, a 28-year-old man beaten to death by two undercover police officers on a street in Alexandria last year.

Other notorious cases include Emad el-Kabir, who was sodomized with a stick in a police station in 2007, with images of the torture recorded on a mobile phone and broadcast on the Internet.

A total of seven police officers have been sentenced for torture or inhumane treatment since 2006, but no one from the SSI, has ever been prosecuted for torture.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011365436227288.html.

Oman's ruler dismisses ministers

Gulf state's sultan replaces three top government officials as protesters demand an end to corruption and better wages.

06 Mar 2011

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has replaced three top government officials, after protests erupted demanding reforms and an end to corruption in the Gulf state, state media has reported.

Demonstrators have urged the sultan to dismiss all government ministers and have them investigated for any illegal activities.

The sultan appointed Khaled bin Hilal bin Saud al-Busaidi as a minister of the royal court, replacing Sayed Ali bin Hmud al-Busaidi, the state ONA news agency said on Saturday.

He also appointed Sultan bin Mohammed al-Numani as minister in the sultan's office, replacing General Ali bin Majid al-Maamari, it added.

Nasr bin Hamoud bin Ahmed al Kindi was named as the new secretary general of royal court affairs.

Meanwhile, protests in the country have spread to a key oil region, Haima, with oil workers staging a sit-in in the area about 500km southwest of the capital Muscat.

The oil workers are calling for more government investment in the area, a government official told the Associated Press.

Demonstrations flared last week, with protesters seeking jobs and a greater political voice. One demonstrator was killed.

Sultan Qaboos has since ordered 50,000 new civil service jobs. But the measure failed to halt sit-ins in Muscat and the northern industrial city of Sohar, where the unrest began.

Rival demonstrations

Anti-government protesters continued to rally in Oman on Friday, while rival demonstrations were also held in support of Sultan Qaboos.

Oman is the latest country to be hit by the wave of popular protests that has rattled several Arab states and swept from power the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

But the anti-government sentiment in Oman differs from the rest of the region's turmoil , as there has been much less violence and more support for the country's leader.

"We are making this to support the sultan, not to face against the sultan. We are just facing the corruption here," Yousef al-Zadjali, a protest spokesman in the city of Sohar told Al Jazeera.

Sultan Qaboos brought peace to Oman soon after taking power in a palace coup 41 years ago.

He also delivered a public health system, improved infrastructure and granted more rights for women than many other Gulf countries.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/03/20113565533194678.html.

Youths 'attack Algerian protesters'

Reports say pro-regime supporters attacked protesters and tried to lynch prominent opposition politician in Algiers.

05 Mar 2011

Anti-government protesters have been attacked in the Algerian capital and an attempt made to lynch a prominent opposition politician, local media have said.

The reports said that protests organized by the National Co-ordination for Democracy and Change (CNDC) in Algiers were violently suppressed on Saturday morning.

According to the the Algerian daily newspaper El Watan, a group of youths tried to lynch Said Sadi, the president of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD).

Dozens of youths wearing banners supporting Abdelaziz Bouteflicka, the Algerian president, forced Sadi to flee in his car after they threatened to kill him in the al-Madania neighborhood of Algiers, the publication said.

The CNDC is an umbrella group that was founded in January in the wake of riots that killed five people and wounded over 800.

Other recent protests in Algeria have been violently suppressed by security forces. The CNDC has lost support from other opposition groups, which argue Sadi has exploited them for personal political gain.

Algeria recently repealed its controversial state of emergency, but public protest remains banned.

Pan-Maghreb solidarity

Meanwhile, Algeria's oldest opposition party has urged Algerians to engage in a "peaceful struggle" for change in the nation a day ahead of a planned anti-government demonstration in the capital.

Distancing itself from the protests organized by the CNDC, the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) focused on its historic pan-Maghreb roots, expressing solidarity with similar struggles in neighboring Tunisia, Morocco and Libya.

"We need a peaceful struggle every day. It's this civic exercise that ... will bring change," Karim Tabbou, the first secretary of the FFS, told a gathering of about 3,000 people in Algiers.

"We will not get caught in confrontation and violence," he added, speaking in a room decorated with portraits of Hocine Ait-Ahmed, the party's leader.

Ait-Ahmed, 84, was one of the earliest leaders of the struggle against French colonial rule.

Those present at the meeting called for the creation of a new pan-North African group "Maghreb for the people" as opposed to the now-defunct Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), founded in 1989 by Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia.

"Neither Morocco or Algeria will be exceptions [to the wave of uprisings] change is inevitable," declared Mustapha Labraimi of the Moroccan Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS).

The UMA broke down in 1994 due to political differences among its members and the long-running conflict between Algeria and Morocco over Western Sahara.

Mustapha Bouchachi, the president of the Algerian Human Rights League, called for more freedom after years of civil strife.

"People the world over deserve to enjoy freedom and democracy, but I don't know of another people which has sacrificed so much to fight for its freedom and obtain its independence," he said.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/20113512417540287.html.

Cote d'Ivoire to get more UN troops

UN representative to violence-torn nation says current 8,000-strong force will be increased by a further 2,000 soldiers.

05 Mar 2011

The UN is to send 2,000 more troops to Cote d'Ivoire to reinforce the existing peacekeeping force there, a UN official has said.

Choi Young-jin, the UN special representative for Cote d'Ivoire, said on Saturday that the decision was prompted by a surge in violence in the West African country.

On Thursday, government troops killed at least six women who were protesting against Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to step down as president, three months after the country's disputed election.

"What we are seeing is clearly an escalation of violence," Choi told the Liberation newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. "Since Feb 19, incidents have gotten more serious."

The 8,000-strong UN force is trying to prevent violence between Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the election, from tipping into a civil war.

Clashes between factions loyal to each side have grown increasingly violent in the past couple of months.

About 800 peacekeepers are stationed around a hotel in Abidjan, the commercial capital, where Ouattara has been holed up since November.

Ouattara hopes that economic sanctions will eventually weaken Gbagbo's grip on power.

The UN has said at least 365 people have been killed in violence since November 28.

Women shot

Video footage of the all-women protest in the northern Abidjan suburb of Abobo, broadcast on Itele news channel, showed women screaming and at least two bloodied bodies on the road.

An armored vehicle marked "police" was visible in the background.

Choi said he was sending frequent patrols through the Abobo suburb, adding: "We need to do everything we can to stop someone who wants to massacre civilians from making it happen."

As the conflict escalated, Choi said he had not yet called on a French military unit stationed nearby.

"We are waiting on reinforcements of 2,000 blue helmets, and two of the three armed helicopters that we ordered have arrived," he said.

Staying in control of the skies above Abidjan through air power was crucial to ensuring that the fragile situation did not degenerate into bloodshed, he added.

Asked if he thought a political outcome to the crisis was possible, Choi said: "Since the beginning we've noted deep differences between the two parties. It will be very difficult to find common ground between the rivals."

In the northern stronghold of Bouake, power and water service was restored on Saturday, after being cut for a week during clashes, witnesses and residents said.

Gbagbo's government did not officially comment on the power cuts to the north, but his troops seized the electric distribution company last month and a UN source said they had ordered power to be cut to the north during the fighting.

Running water was able to be cut because the pumps are electric.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201135191014782155.html.

Libya migrants' plight 'desperate'

British minister demands "unfettered access" to help thousands of migrants fleeing violence amid anti-Gaddafi uprising.

05 Mar 2011

Andrew Mitchell, Britain's minister for international development, has said that migrants fleeing violence in Libya are in a "desperate position" and demanded that Libya allow world powers "unfettered access" to help them.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Mitchell blamed Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, for the plight of those fleeing and said that world powers should be prepared to act.

"The whole of the international community should recognize that there are people in a desperate position inside Libya thanks to the way Colonel Gaddafi is behaving and that the international community must make sure it is able to respond to every eventually," he said.

"We call immediately for unfettered access into Libya for the international community ... It has been cut off by Colonel Gaddafi and we call for it immediately to be reopened."

More than 191,000 people have fled the violence in Libya, according to a report by the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing figures from the International Organization for Migration.

About 3,500 Bangladeshi workers have returned home since the anti-government protests began, according to the OCHA, but tens of thousands of others remain stuck in Libya, where forces loyal to Gaddafi are suspected of preventing many from crossing the border.

Migrants 'trapped'

People fleeing Libya for Tunisia said they had to pass through dozens of checkpoints on their way from Tripoli, the capital, and that they had been robbed by Gaddafi's security forces.

Some people who crossed into Tunisia in the last two days have reported seeing thousands of fellow migrant workers on the Libyan side, but UN officials said it was unclear why they were not approaching the border.

Speaking to Al Jazeera's David Frost, Antonio Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees, warned that many, mainly African, workers trapped in Libya were at risk.

Guterres said Gaddafi's use of African mercenaries had generated popular suspicion towards anyone from sub-Saharan Africa.

"There are hundreds of thousands of African workers in Libya, and very few have shown up at the borders," he said.

"We have received phone calls from people in a desperate situation, afraid of leaving their homes. It's the situation of these African communities inside Libya that now corresponds to our biggest concern."

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, is expected to name a special envoy to Libya in coming days. Abdul-llah Khatib and Marwan Muasher, both Jordanian diplomats, are said to be under consideration for the post.

Humanitarian aid

Tunisia is readying for an influx of hundreds more people fleeing the unrest in the coming days.

Algeria and Egypt, as well as France and Italy, have also all mobilized to receive and repatriate refugees.

In Algeria authorities said they were reinforcing their reception capacity for refugees from Libya with a new facility at Ifri, about 2,000km southeast of Algiers.

A humanitarian convoy left Tabessa in the far east of Algeria for the border between Libya and Tunisia to help refugees, the Algerian news agency APS said.

Also on Saturday, an Italian navy patrol boat set out for Libya on Saturday with a cargo of aid, as part of a humanitarian mission, the Italian defense ministry said.

The "Libra" carried tents, 4,000 blankets, water purification kits, power units and first aid kits to Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya and a stronghold for anti-government fighters.

Before the uprising in Libya there were 2.5 million migrant workers in the country, including one million Egyptians, migration officials say.

Most were in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is held by the rebels.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201135165632260669.html.

Yemen MPs quit ruling party

Several members of General People's Congress resign in protest against violence used against anti-government protesters.

05 Mar 2011

Several members of Yemen's ruling General People’s Congress (JPC), including members of parliament and some ministers, have resigned from the party in protest against the violence and harassment used against anti-government demonstrators in the country.

Ali Al-Imrani, an MP from al-Baida province, and Fathi Tawfiq Abdulrahim, head of the finance committee of the Yemeni parliament, resigned from the JPC on Saturday, local sources told Al Jazeera.

This brings the number of resigned ruling party MPs to 13 since the wave of protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule began.

Sam Yahya Al-Ahmar, the deputy culture minister, Hashid Abdullah al-Ahmar, the deputy minister for youth and sports and Nabil Al-Khameri, a businessman, have also quit the ruling party.

Al-Ahmar resignation comes a week after his brother Hussein Abdullah Al-Ahmar had left the party.

Tens of thousands of people continued with protests in several key cities across Yemen, including Sanaa, Aden, Taiz and Hadramawt, pressing on with demands that the president step down.

Protesters are also demanding an investigation into the killing of four people during protests on Friday in the northern town of Harf Sofyan, when soldiers opened fire, in an attack that also wounded seven others.

The government suspended classes at the universities in the capital Sanaa and in Aden, which have been the focal points for daily demonstrations, the Associated Press news agency reported on Saturday.

Proposal rejected

On Saturday, Britain's Foreign Office issued a statement advising its citizens against all travel to Yemen "in light of the increasing violence" there.

Human rights group, Amnesty International, estimates that at least 27 people have been killed since anti-government protests began on January 27.

On Friday, Saleh rejected a proposal by opposition groups that offered him a smooth exit from power by the end of 2011.

"The president rejected the proposal and is holding on to his previous offer," Yemen's opposition's rotating president, Mohammed al-Mutawakil, said.

Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years, refuses to step down until his term ends in 2013.

The proposal was made this week by a coalition of opposition groups and religious scholars.

The offer sought to end the country's political crisis, calling for a "peaceful transition of power" from Saleh by the end of this year.

It also called for a probe into the deadly crackdown on the recent anti-government protests.

The proposal also called for steps to change the constitution and rewriting election laws to ensure fair representation in parliament, removing Saleh's relatives from leadership positions in the army and security forces, and a guaranteed right to peaceful protest.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113514455840795.html.

Palestinians threaten to close Kerem Shalom crossing

06/03/2011

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The administrative board of the Gaza Strip’s Private Transport Association has threatened to shut down Kerem Shalom crossing in protest over Israel's closure of the bulk goods Karni crossing.

Israeli authorities on Wednesday permanently closed the Karni terminal on the Gaza-Israel border, leaving only the southern Kerem Shalom crossing open to transport goods into the coastal enclave.

The board has decided to shut the Kerem Shalom crossing if Israel’s decision remains in effect, the association’s secretary-general Jihad Salim told Ma’an Friday.

"Closing the Karni crossing will add more suffering and freight will go up. The Salah Addin Street can’t cope with the large number of trucks carrying the cargo from the southern Gaza Strip to the north. The roads are not well paved, and the street already sees too many road accidents because the traffic is always congested," Salim explained.

He added that the Kerem Shalom crossing was not equipped to receive goods for a population of over 1.6 million. "It is only barren land without any facilities like rest rooms, water or electricity," he said.

Salim explained that the Palestinian side would not support the closure of any crossing. However, the Palestinian crossings department was given 48 hours to convince the Israelis to reopen the Karni crossing.

If they failed the Private Transport Association would close the Kerem Shalom terminal, he said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365645.